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Star Wars 70
"The Stenax Shuffle" is the story title to the seventieth issue of the first volume of the ''Star Wars'' ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics, based on the popular Star Wars sci-fi/fantasy film series by George Lucas. The story was written by Mary Jo Duffy. It was illustrated by Tom Palmer, Sr. and Kerry Gammill. Palmer also composed the cover art illustration for this issue as well as the interior inks. It was colored by Glynis Wein and lettered by Joe Rosen. The story was edited by Louise Jones with Danny Fingeroth as assistant editor. This issue shipped with an April, 1983 cover date and carried a cover price of 60 cents per copy (US). Synopsis Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca and R2-D2 take the ''Millennium Falcon'' to the Stenos system. In their ongoing quest to rescue Han Solo, they are hoping to find the bounty hunter that had formerly worked with Boba Fett in bringing him to Jabba the Hutt. As Fett had double-crossed his partner, the heroes are hoping that whoever the second bounty hunter is, he might be angry enough at Fett to point them in the right direction. As they enter the planet's atmosphere, Luke recalls the first time they came to Stenos, shortly after he first joined the Rebel Alliance. :Flashback : The Rebel Alliance has lost contact with an outpost stationed on the planet Stenos. Colonel Pejanes Kindar sends Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 to the arid planet to locate the base and re-establish contact. When they arrive, they find that an Imperial garrison has been set up in one of the major cities led by Governor Quorl Matrin. Leia remembers Matrin from days in the Galactic Senate. Keeping a low profile, the heroes make their way past a squad of armed Imperial Stormtroopers as well as Stenos' native populace, the winged, savage, primitives known as the Stenaxes. They get to an ancient temple which the Rebels had been using as a base, but find it completely deserted. : To their surprise however, they are not alone. Three fortune hunters named Rik Duel, Dani and a Rodian known as Chihdo emerge from behind a pillar bearing blasters. Han recognizes the trio and knows them to be con artists of a most disreputable nature. Rik claims that his comrades and he have now joined up with the Rebellion and are also following orders of Colonel Kindar to locate a lost artifact known as the Idol of Vol. Han is incredulous of their claim and Dani, the crimson-skinned Zeltron takes an interest in Luke. Rik feels that C-3PO will be an invaluable asset in trying to decipher the hieroglyphs carved on the temple ruins. The glyphs might help to point the way to the idol. Rik explains that Vol is the ancient god of the Stenaxes and that they believe that his spirit lives inside the statue as an avatar. Ever since the statue was lost, the Stenaxes have been forbidden from flying and now conduct all of their affairs on the ground. Rik believes that if they were to recover the statue for them, the Stenaxes might become an ally to the Rebellion. : The group labors for two days searching for the idol. Threepio translates the carvings, which describes certain constellations that will point the way towards the altar of Vol. R2-D2 uses his instruments to make the correct calculations based on the information that Treepio describes. Once they get an accurate fix on the statue's last known whereabouts, they begin digging. It is Luke Skywalker who ultimately finds the relic. Once it is recovered however, Rik Duel shows his true colors. Rik, Dani and Chihdo hold the heroes at blaster-point and take the idol for themselves. To cover their escape, Chihdo reports the group to a squad of Stormtroopers, claiming that Luke and the others are criminals. The troopers storm the temple and open fire while Rik, Dani and Chihdo run away. : Rik and the others are actually under the employ of Governor Matrin who covets the idol as part of his extensive art collection. When the Stenaxes realize that the statue of Vol has been recovered, the taboo against flying is lifted. Taking to the air, they attack the Stormtroopers en masse, giving Luke and the others a decisive victory over their opponents. Rik meets up with Governor Matrin to deliver the idol, but Matrin overhears him conspiring to betray him. He swipes the idol from his hands, but as he does so, a swarm of Stenaxes swoops down from out of the sky and tear into him. Once they confirm that Vol is back in the hands of the Stenaxes, the heroes leave aboard the Falcon. Back in the present, Luke finishes his tale and Lando wonders if the Stenaxes will remember them, but moreover, will they be grateful for their participation in recovering their lost artifact. Luke is unsure and gives Lando a troubled look. Lando decides it might be best to park the ship outside of the city. Appearances * Luke Skywalker * Leia Organa * Han Solo * Chewbacca * R2-D2 * C-3PO * Lando Calrissian * Quorl Matrin * Rik Duel * Dani * Chihdo * Boba Fett * Bossk * IG-88 * Alliance to Restore the Republic * Galactic Empire * Imperial Stormtroopers * Stenaxes * Stenos system * Stenos * Cloud City * Bowcaster * Carbonite * DL-44 heavy blaster pistol * E-11 blaster rifle * Lightsaber * [[Millennium Falcon|The Millennium Falcon]] * [[Moonshadow|The Moonshadow]] * Cryogenic suspension * Droid * Floating city * Planet * Robot * Space travel * Space vessel Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Fool's Bounty * Mary Jo Duffy becomes the regular series writer beginning with this issue. She will continue in this capacity until the end of the series. Duffy also wrote ''Star Wars'' #24. * The exact chronological placement of the flashback story from this issue is difficult to determine, but it had to have taken place in 0 ABY following the events of issues #7-9 of the Star Wars comic book series by Marvel Comics and the 1978 novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster. The framing sequence of the story takes place in 3 ABY. * First and only appearance of Quorl Matrin who presumably dies off-panel at the end of this issue. * First appearance of Rik Duel, Dani and Chihdo. They all appear next in ''Star Wars'' #71. * First appearance of the Stenaxes and the planet Stenos. Both appear next in ''Star Wars'' #71. * A reference is made to Jabba the Hutt in this episode. Jabba was the one who hired the bounty hunters to capture Han Solo while Darth Vader had hired the bounty hunters to capture Luke Skywalker. Han was captured and encased in carbonite in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Though Jabba had been referenced several times in both the films and the comics, he did not make his canonical first appearance until Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. See also External Links * * * * Star Wars, Volume 1 #70 at Wookieepedia ---- Category:Star Wars Vol 1 Category:1983/Comic issues Category:April, 1983/Comic issues Category:Comic issues with plot summaries